Key Words:
Republic: A form of government in which power rests with the citizens who have a right to vote for their leaders.
Patricians: Wealthy Landowners.
Plebeians: The common people, aka farmers, artisans, and merchants.
Tribunes: A representative of the common people.
Consuls: Two people who have control over the military and the government in general.
Senate: A group of people oin thegovernemtn who make decisions on foreign and domestic policies.
Dictator: A person who has absolute power over the government.
Legions: Large military units that Roman soldiers were divided into.
Punic Wars: The wars that were fought between Carthage and Rome.
Key People
Hannibal: A general of Carthage who was a brilliant stratigist.
Summary:
The Orgins of Rome
*According to legend, Rome was founded by the twins,Mars and a latin princess, Romulus and Remus,who were abandoned by the Tigris River and cared for by a she wolf. However, mortal men built the city because of it's fertile ground and strategic location.
Rome's Geography
*Built on seven rolling hills, Rome is between the Alps and Italy's southern tip.
The First Romans
*From 1000-500 BC, three groups of people, the Latins, the Greeks, and the Etruscans lived in the area and eventually fought for control. The Latins biult their civilization on one of the seven hills, Palatine hill, so they are considered to be the first Romans.
*The Greeks created colonies in southern Italy and Sicily, and were very economically active, which connect most of Italy to Greece.
*The Etruscans inhabited northern Italy, and they were skilled metalworkers and architects, and made up the Roman alphabet.
The Early Republic
*In 600 BC, an Etruscan became king of Rome, and Rome expanded from the small hilltop villages.
*Tarquin the Proud, the last king of Rome, was a harsh ruler driven from power in 509 BC, and the Romans established a republic, where the people vote for their leaders (only free-born male citizens could vote).
Patricians and Plebeians
*There were two different groups that struggled for power: the Patricians, who were wealthy landowners that held the most power, and the Plebeians, who were common farmers, artisans, and merchants.
*Patricians inherited their social and government status, while Plebeians voted, and the Plebeians held assemblies in which they elected representatives called tribunes.
Twelve Tables
*To prevent further biased interpretation of the laws by the Patricians, the Plebeians forced the creation of a written law code, which was written on 12 tablets/tables.
Government under the Rupublic
*Rome had two officials, similar to a president, who commanded the army and directed the government, but their power was limited. Although they could veto one another's decisions, their power was very limited, and their term was only a year long.
*The senate, which controlled foreign and domestic policies, were made up of upper class citizens, although the Plebeians were soon allowed to become part of it.
*Assemblies held by the Plebeians represented the democratic side of the government because they elected leaders and made laws for the common people.
*In times of crisis, the consuls could elect a dictator, who was approved by the senate, to have absolute power over the military and the government.
The Roman Army
*All citizens who owned land had to serve in the army. The army was divided into units with 5000 called legions, which were further divided into groups of 80 men called centuries.
Rome Spreads it's Power
*Rome wanted to make it's territory bigger by trade and conquest.
Rome Conquers Italy
*Roman power grew slowly but steadly as they defeated the Etruscans in the north and the Greeks in the south, so that they controlled all of Italy.
*There were three categories of people: The neighboring Latins, who were full citizens, the territories farther away that could do everything except vote, and the allies, who had to supply troops for the army and not make alliances with any other countries.
Rome's Commerical Network
*Rome's location gave it easy access to lands with many riches, such as olives (for olive oil) and grapes for Roman wine, but cities interfered with Rome's access to these lands, and one of these was Carthage.
War with Carthage
*In 264 BC, the Punic wars began, and three wars were fought: the first ending with Rome winning, and the second was fought with a general of Carthage, Hannibal, who wanted to avenge the earlier defeat.
*Hannibal got a huge army together and traveled from Spain to France, and weakened the Roman army, but Rome stood strong and prevented Hannibal from conquering Rome.
Roman Triumphs
*In 202 BC, a Roman general named Scipio made Hannibal go back to defend his native city, and eventually defeated Hannibal.
*During the third Punic war, Carthage was set afire and was made a province of Rome. The people there became slaves.
*By about 70 BC, The Roman empire stretched from Anatolia to Spain.
Republic: A form of government in which power rests with the citizens who have a right to vote for their leaders.
Patricians: Wealthy Landowners.
Plebeians: The common people, aka farmers, artisans, and merchants.
Tribunes: A representative of the common people.
Consuls: Two people who have control over the military and the government in general.
Senate: A group of people oin thegovernemtn who make decisions on foreign and domestic policies.
Dictator: A person who has absolute power over the government.
Legions: Large military units that Roman soldiers were divided into.
Punic Wars: The wars that were fought between Carthage and Rome.
Key People
Hannibal: A general of Carthage who was a brilliant stratigist.
Summary:
The Orgins of Rome
*According to legend, Rome was founded by the twins,Mars and a latin princess, Romulus and Remus,who were abandoned by the Tigris River and cared for by a she wolf. However, mortal men built the city because of it's fertile ground and strategic location.
Rome's Geography
*Built on seven rolling hills, Rome is between the Alps and Italy's southern tip.
The First Romans
*From 1000-500 BC, three groups of people, the Latins, the Greeks, and the Etruscans lived in the area and eventually fought for control. The Latins biult their civilization on one of the seven hills, Palatine hill, so they are considered to be the first Romans.
*The Greeks created colonies in southern Italy and Sicily, and were very economically active, which connect most of Italy to Greece.
*The Etruscans inhabited northern Italy, and they were skilled metalworkers and architects, and made up the Roman alphabet.
The Early Republic
*In 600 BC, an Etruscan became king of Rome, and Rome expanded from the small hilltop villages.
*Tarquin the Proud, the last king of Rome, was a harsh ruler driven from power in 509 BC, and the Romans established a republic, where the people vote for their leaders (only free-born male citizens could vote).
Patricians and Plebeians
*There were two different groups that struggled for power: the Patricians, who were wealthy landowners that held the most power, and the Plebeians, who were common farmers, artisans, and merchants.
*Patricians inherited their social and government status, while Plebeians voted, and the Plebeians held assemblies in which they elected representatives called tribunes.
Twelve Tables
*To prevent further biased interpretation of the laws by the Patricians, the Plebeians forced the creation of a written law code, which was written on 12 tablets/tables.
Government under the Rupublic
*Rome had two officials, similar to a president, who commanded the army and directed the government, but their power was limited. Although they could veto one another's decisions, their power was very limited, and their term was only a year long.
*The senate, which controlled foreign and domestic policies, were made up of upper class citizens, although the Plebeians were soon allowed to become part of it.
*Assemblies held by the Plebeians represented the democratic side of the government because they elected leaders and made laws for the common people.
*In times of crisis, the consuls could elect a dictator, who was approved by the senate, to have absolute power over the military and the government.
The Roman Army
*All citizens who owned land had to serve in the army. The army was divided into units with 5000 called legions, which were further divided into groups of 80 men called centuries.
Rome Spreads it's Power
*Rome wanted to make it's territory bigger by trade and conquest.
Rome Conquers Italy
*Roman power grew slowly but steadly as they defeated the Etruscans in the north and the Greeks in the south, so that they controlled all of Italy.
*There were three categories of people: The neighboring Latins, who were full citizens, the territories farther away that could do everything except vote, and the allies, who had to supply troops for the army and not make alliances with any other countries.
Rome's Commerical Network
*Rome's location gave it easy access to lands with many riches, such as olives (for olive oil) and grapes for Roman wine, but cities interfered with Rome's access to these lands, and one of these was Carthage.
War with Carthage
*In 264 BC, the Punic wars began, and three wars were fought: the first ending with Rome winning, and the second was fought with a general of Carthage, Hannibal, who wanted to avenge the earlier defeat.
*Hannibal got a huge army together and traveled from Spain to France, and weakened the Roman army, but Rome stood strong and prevented Hannibal from conquering Rome.
Roman Triumphs
*In 202 BC, a Roman general named Scipio made Hannibal go back to defend his native city, and eventually defeated Hannibal.
*During the third Punic war, Carthage was set afire and was made a province of Rome. The people there became slaves.
*By about 70 BC, The Roman empire stretched from Anatolia to Spain.